The Big Bang Theory's best celebrity cameos, from Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy to Star Wars' Mark Hamill
It wasn't just Wil Wheaton, you know...
Ahead of the final *ever* episode of The Big Bang Theory on Thursday, May 16, we take a look back at some of the best cameos from sci-fi greats, comic book legends, tech entrepreneurs and, er, Charlie Sheen. Bazinga!
Mark Hamill, season 11 - The Bow Tie Asymmetry
After Howard finds Mark Hamill's missing dog, he persuades Hamill to officiate Amy Farrah Fowler and Sheldon Cooper's wedding, instead of Sheldon's long-term frenemy Wil Wheaton.
Stan Lee, season 3 - The Excelsior Acquisition
The gang find out that (king of cameos) Stan Lee is heading to the comic book store to sign autographs, but it clashes with Sheldon's court hearing for jumping a red light.
Penny finds Stan Lee's address and takes Sheldon to meet him - which eventually results in Sheldon receiving a restraining order from the man himself.
Teller and Kathy Bates, season 11 - The Bow Tie Asymmetry
Kathy Bates and Teller made their special cameo as Amy's parents on her wedding day.
Bates replaced Annie O'Donnell, who played Mrs Fowler in 2010.
Stephen Hawking, season 5 - The Hawking Excitation
Sheldon, Leonard, Rajesh and Howard's hero Stephen Hawking made his appearance after visiting the university for two weeks to lecture.
After Howard gave Sheldon's Higgs boson thesis paper to Professor Hawking, Hawking reached out to Sheldon to meet him.
Standing in front of Hawking, Sheldon told him that it was a pleasure and honour to meet him, to which Hawking said “I know”. Professor Hawking expressed his joy in reading Sheldon’s paper and told him that he has a brilliant mind, to which Sheldon replied “I know”.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 12 - The Stockholm Syndrome
After meeting Raj on a plane to Stockholm, Sarah Michelle Gellar (playing herself) agrees to be Raj's date to the Nobel Prize gala.
As Sheldon gives his acceptance speech for his and Amy's Nobel Prize, he spots Gellar and asks: "Is that Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"
James Earl Jones, season 7 - The Convention Conundrum
After guessing that Sheldon liked Star Wars, James Earl Jones invites him to dinner on his residual Lion King cheque. The two go for ice cream, head to a carnival, hit up a strip club to sing karaoke, and then end up in a sauna.
Carrie Fisher and James Earl Jones, season 7 - The Convention Conundrum
After their wild night out, James Earl Jones, takes Sheldon to Carrie Fisher's house. The two knock on her door and run off, and Carrie comes out yielding a baseball bat and shouting: "It's not funny anymore, James."
This was also the first time Carrie had met Jones, even though he played Princess Leia's father Darth Vader in Star Wars.
Elon Musk, season 9 - The Platonic Permutation
Howard meets his hero, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, while serving Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless at a soup kitchen.
Howard can't help but to mention that he is an astronaut and would love to go to Mars. Musk then offers his email address to Howard and the two share a piece of half-eaten pumpkin pie together.
Katee Sackhoff, season 3 - The Vengeance Formulation
Appearing in fantasy form, Katee Sackhoff questioned him about Bernadette, which helped Howard to apologise and then propose to Bernadette – who rejected him. They carried on dating and the rest is history!
George Takei and Katee Sackhoff, season 4 - The Hot Troll Deviation
Katee returns in another of Howard's sexual fantasies wearing a flight suit from Battlestar Galactica.
Bernadatte then appears in the fantasy and so does Star Trek's George Takei, who played Captain Hikaru Sulu, and gives Howard relationship advice.
Adam West, season 9 - The Celebration Experimentation
TV's Batman Adam West appears in the 200th episode of The Big Bang Theory. Leonard, Raj and Howard convince West to attend Sheldon's birthday party.
After picking West up, he comments that he thought Michael Keaton was the best Batman, and also adds that his Batsuit contained "100% pure, grade-A West" muscles.
Bill Gates, season 11 - The Gates Excitation
Everyone is excited when Bill Gates spends the day at Penny's work at Bernadette's Pharmaceutical company. The gang desperately wants to meet Gates, and when Leonard eventually locates him, he breaks down in tears.
Charlie Sheen, season 2 - The Griffin Equivalency
Charlie Sheen made a brief cameo when Raj spotted him at The Cheesecake Factory. Raj tells Charlie that he is going to be in People magazine, to which Charlie turns round and quips: "Call me when you're on the cover."
William Shatner, season 12 - The D & D Vortex
Star Trek Captain James T Kirk had often been mentioned on the show, but it wasn't until the final season that he made an appearance.
Shatner rocks up as a guest star on Wil Wheaton's Professor Proton show and meets Sheldon, who doesn't stop pestering Shatner until he calls him science officer Cooper.
Bill Nye and Bob Newhart, season 7 - The Proton Displacement
Sheldon's childhood hero Professor Proton (played by Bob Newhart), asks Leonard for his help with a paper he is working on. A confused Sheldon can't work out why Professor Proton didn't ask him, until Amy helps him realise it's because Sheldon annoys him.
Sheldon then brings in the Science Guy Bill Nye as his new idol – who later ditches Sheldon.
Regina King, season 6 - The Egg Salad Equivalency
Guest star Regina King appeared in six episodes of the show as the university's Director of Human Resources, Janine Davis.
King made her first appearance after Sheldon has a sexual harassment claim made against him by his assistant Alex and lands himself in deep water with the Human Resources department.
Joe Manganiello, season 12 - The D & D Vortex
The Magic Mike star appeared as himself playing Dungeons and Dragons with Wil Wheaton and William Shatner.
Penny, Bernadette and Amy ask to meet him, but Amy's flirting becomes a little too much for Manganiello – so much so that he moves away from her.
Leonard Nimoy, season 5 - The Transporter Malfunction
Spock obsessed Sheldon is greeted by the voice of Leonard Nimoy in action-figure form.
He convinces Sheldon to use his transporter which breaks and then Nimoy shuns him when he replaces his own with Leonard's.
Katey Sagal, season 10 - The Conjugal Conjecture
Katey returns as Kaley Cuoco's TV mum in the season 10 premiere as she comes to town with her family for Leonard and Penny's wedding do-over.
Sagal and Cuoco starred in 8 Simple Rules together, where they also played mother and daughter.
Keith Carradine, season 4 - The Boyfriend Complexity
Keith Carradine appeared in five episodes of the show, starring as Penny's father Wyatt.
He made his first appearance in season 4 when he came down to Pasadena, leading Penny to lie to her dad by saying that she and Leonard were dating.
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